Motioned by Jurado, seconded by Altimore
to approve the minutes from the January 6, 2009 meeting.Motion passed 7-0.

Call to Audience

Curt Peterson requested to comment on the cross-country ski
trails at the City Forest.Mr.
Peterson’s comments are included under ‘New Business’.

Old Business

Karen Murphy updated the Commission on the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan process.Staff
members had an initial meeting with Spicer Group, and will meet again next week
to discuss the public input process and lay out the time table for the project.

Martin asked where we stand in the fee recommendation
process.Murphy explained that staff
members are currently working on the fee schedule in conjunction with the
budget preparation process.The fees
presented to the Commission at the January meeting are the staff’s
recommendations at this time, but are a work-in-progress.A date to meet with City Council to discuss
fee philosophy is pending.Despite the
delay, we intend to follow the same process as in the past to get approval for
fee changes, and we have adequate time to do so.

New Business

Civic Arena Update:At the request of the Commission, tonight was the first in the series of
updates by staff members designed to provide information on operations, current
projects and future initiatives for the various divisions within Parks and
Recreation.Kenny Benson, Arena Manager,
provided an update on the Civic Arena.Benson outlined the various users groups at the Arena, and discussed the
different events that are hosted at the facility.Benson also reviewed some changes that are
being implemented to streamline the operations at the Arena, and discussed
future initiatives that he is working toward.

Allen asked how the Arena was doing from a financial
standpoint.Murphy explained that the
City recognized the need for an on-site manager at the Arena, and much like the
Golf Course, the Arena needs to start operating like a business rather than a
public recreation program.The goal is
to reel in expenses and find ways to grow our revenue so that down the road we
can taper off the general fund contribution for Arena operations.With the Arena Manager only being on staff
since November 2008, we are just starting to make changes in this
direction.Rothhaar asked Murphy to
provide a financial update at a future meeting.

Rothhaar asked how the user groups are responding to the
changes.Benson assured the Commission
that the user groups are a top priority as they play a key role in the success
of the Arena.

Non-motorized Transportation Plan Update:Kelley gave an update on the plan, including
a review of the mission and the three areas of focus.These include education/promotion,
infrastructure/engineering, and governance/enforcement.Kelley explained the next step in the process
is to get the plan approved by the Planning Commission and ultimately City
Council.Then the committee will need to
prioritize the projects included in the plan and work to secure funding.

Other:Audience member Curt Peterson complimented the Commission, the Parks
& Recreation Department, and Parks Supervisor Bart Heil for the work done
on grooming the ski trails at the City Forest.Peterson would like staff to consider designating certain trails for
skiing only, as walkers can damage the groomed trails.Rothaar agreed and asked staff to look at
signage similar to what is used on the mountain bike trail system.

Martin inquired as to whether future Commission meetings
could be held at different park facilities, such as the Golf Course or the
Civic Arena.Murphy will consult with
City staff to see if this is a possibility as other facilities are not equipped
for televised meetings.

Motioned by Martin, seconded by Altimore
to adjourn.Motion passed.Meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m.